Best Android smartphones (July 2013 edition)

UPDATE: Best Android Phones (August 2013 edition) is now available.

Looking to replace your aging Android companion with something newer and with a little more "oomph"? Here are five excellent Android-powered smartphones from Google, Motorola, and Samsung.

No matter whether you are looking for a consumer handset or something that will be suited to a BYOD role, you're bound to find something of interest here.

The handsets are arranged in no particular order. My current favorite continues to be the Nexus 4. It's a powerful package that delivers what I believe to be the best, purest Android experience possible. However, I have to admit that some of the features present on the Samsung Galaxy S4 make it a great choice for the BYOD crowd.

The Nexus 4 is the smartphone that Google thinks Android should be loaded on.

One of the downsides to the Nexus 4 is that it doesn't come with long-term evolution (LTE) support, despite having a supporting integrated modem. According to LG, the manufacturer of the Nexus 4, the LTE modem requires a signal amplifier and filter to work, and these components have been omitted to keep the cost of the handset down.

Despite this, the Nexus 4 is a solid, well-made Android handset.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.2)

• 1.5GHz quad-core Krait processor

• 4.7-inch WXGA IPS display

• 8MP rear camera

• 1.3MP front camera

• 8GB/16GB internal storage

The all-new HTC One is the first of two new kids on the block in terms of Android-powered smartphones.

Under the hood, the HTC One isn't all that different to Samsung's new Galaxy S4 — it features the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU (although it runs a little slower), 2GB of RAM, and a 1080p screen — but it is also a very different beast thanks to Sense, the bold new user interface that HTC has loaded into the smartphone. It also features an aluminum shell, unlike the Samsung Galaxy S4, which has a plastic shell.

This handset is confirmed as coming to Verizon over the next couple of months.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.2) with HTC's Sense user interface

• 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600

• 4.7-inch Super LCD, full HD, high-pixel-density (468ppi) display

• 4MP rear camera

• 2.1MP front camera

• 32GB/64GB internal storage

The second new kid on the block is Samsung's new and long-awaited Galaxy S4.

There's an awful lot to like about the Galaxy S4 — the powerful CPU, plenty of storage space, a user-replaceable battery, the microSD slot, the fact that it can be used as a remote control for a DVR. It is very much like HTC's new One handset, except marginally better in almost every way (except, perhaps, for the plastic shell).

It's another quality handset from the company that is now the king of the Android smartphones.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.2.2)

• 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (1.6GHz octa-core processor offered in some markets)

• 5-inch Super AMOLED high-pixel-density (441ppi) display

• 13MP rear camera

• 2MP front camera

• 16GB/32GB/64GB internal storage

• MicroSD slot

A newcomer to the list, Sony's Xperia Z packs a lot of cool features under the hood, sporting the sharpest LCD panel on the market and a 13-megapixel camera capable of capturing HDR video.

This handset is also thin, coming in at a svelte 7.9 millimeters. But don't the thinness fool you; the Xperia Z is tough, featuring tempered glass and a dust-proof and waterproof build.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.1)

• 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor

• 5-inch TFT 1080p (1920x1080) display, powered by the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine 2

• 13MP rear-facing camera

• 2MP front-facing 1080p HD video capture

• 16GB internal storage

• MicroSD card slot

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is the Android smartphone for those people with large hands to hold it, and large pockets to keep it in.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II really is a solid handset packed with an array of high-end features. It even comes with the S Pen that can be used to copy text, crop images, and share content.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.1)

• 1.6 GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos processor

• 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display

• 8MP rear camera

• 1.9MP front camera

• 16GB/32GB/64GB internal storage

• MicroSD slot

Here we have a new entry from Motorola: The Razr i.

Perhaps not the best — or best-made — handset around, the Razr i is nonetheless a decent, solid smartphone that won't break the bank.

The DuPont Kevlar fibre and Corning Gorilla Glass construction give it a good feel in the hand, and it comes with an SD card slot for storage expansion, something that the Nexus 4 doesn't have.

• Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), but Jelly Bean inbound

• 2GHz Intel Atom Z2460

• 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 540x960 display

• 8MP rear camera

• VGA front camera

• 8GB internal storage

Smartphones are getting bigger, and the Optimus G Pro from LG is a real handful. The huge 5.5-inch display, combined with a quad-core Snapdragon processor, makes this a serious piece of kit, but the overall size of this phablet might put some people off.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.1)

• 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU

• 5.5-inch 1920x1080 full HD IPS display

• 13MP rear camera

• 2.1MP front camera

• 32GB internal storage

• MicroSD slot

Some people love the flexibility that a dual-SIM handset can offer, and not only does the Karbonn S5 Titanium come kitted out with dual-SIM support, it is also a solid, decent-spec handset that's functional enough to please most users.

• Jelly Bean (Android 4.1)

• 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU

• 5-inch qHD IPS capacitive touch display

• 8MP rear camera

• 2MP front camera

• 4GB internal storage

• MicroSD slot